Paper roll holder



March 11, 1941. o, BULMAN' 2,234,818

PAPER ROLL HOLDER Filed March 27, 19 59 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 11, 1941. o, BULMAN PAPER ROLL HOLDER 2 Sheets-$heet 2 Filed March 27, 1939 Patented Mar. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT FFIE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to paper roll holders and cutters and is concerned with many novel improvements therein, particularly in connection with the mounting of the cutting blade to engage 6 the paper of a roll of paper uniformly and with substantially a constant or equal pressure through all the variations in the size of the roll and, as sometimes occurs, Variations in the diameter of the roll which may be larger at one end than the other, the cutting edge bearing against the paper or similar material throughout its entire length so that when the paper is cut, by bringing it upwardly against the edges of the knife, it is evenly and uniformly cut and not torn at places in the 16 length of the knife. It is to be understood that the statement that the holder and cutter is for use of paper is not in any sense to limit the invention to its use to paper alone. For example, Cellophane in rolls may be placed in the holder and cut in the same manner as paper and various other thin flexible wrapping materials, as well as paper in the restricted sense of the meaning of the term may be held and cut equally well, and my invention is not restricted in use to any one specific material.

An understanding of the invention and of the objects and purposes which it serves may be had from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the roll holder and cutter of my invention, the roll of thin wrapping material, such as paper or the like, being indicated in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section therethrough.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal section, somewhat enlarged, at an upper corner portion of the mechanism.

Fig, 4 is a fragmentary transverse section sub stantially on the plane of the broken line l4 40 in Fig. 3, with the cutter in elevated position,

looking in the direction indicated.

Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 4, showing the cutter in a lower position such as it may occupy when bearing against the roll.

45 Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan View of one end of the cutter knife and the adjacent end of an arm with which it is connected.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 6.

50 Fig. 8 is a horizontal section through one of the vertical side members of the frame of the machine, looking downwardly, and

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal vertical section sub stantially on the plane of line 9-9 of Fig. 8, look 55 ing in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawings.

In the construction disclosed, a supporting frame is provided having an upper horizontal section l, at its ends curving through an arc of 90 5 as indicated at 2, and thence extending downwardly to provide two spaced apart vertical posts 3. This member of the frame is preferably made from a single length of channel iron. At the lower end of each of the posts 3, a foot memher 4 of angle form is bolted, the vertical flanges of the foot members coming against the outer sides of the webs of the posts and the horizontal flanges being adapted to rest upon a table, countor or other support. zontally between the foot members, at its ends having openings through which upwardly extending tan-gs l5 struck from the horizontal flanges of the foot members 4 pass, whereby the end portions of the bar 5 are hooked over the tangs as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 9. Paper or like wrapping material in a roll, indicated at l and wound upon a central rod 8 is supported on and between the posts 3, the ends of the rod 8 being held in supporting sockets 9 attached to the inner Sides of said posts, as shown.

Adjacent the upper end and at the inner side of each of the vertical posts 3 a stirrup member of fiat metal is secured, each having a vertical section Ill spaced inwardly from and paralleling the post 3 and with outturned upper and lower legs I! extending to said webs and being thence turned vertically to provide attaching cars which are spot-welded or otherwise permanently secured to the webs of said posts. The sections Ill at one edge (Figs. 4 and 5) have inwardly extending horizontal slots !2 which terminate in circular enlargements l3 substantially midway between the opposite edges of the sections Ill.

An arm M of flat metal is pivotally mounted,

one on each of the sections ill. The upper ends of the arms are reduced in width and turned at right angles as at it, the width of the parts I5 being slightly less than the diameter of the circular openings l3. Said reduced portions l5 are widened and connect integrally with rectangular portions l6 (Fig. 3) the central portion of each of which is cut away to provide an opening I'l. It is to be understood that an arm may be assembled with a section ll] of a stirrup on which it is mounted by moving an arm to the proper position such that the pivotal section l5 may be passed rearwardly through the slot l2, whereby when the enlarged circular opening I3 is reached, the arm l4 may be then turned about a horizon- A tie bar 5 extends hori- 15 tal axis. The rectangular portions l6 will be located between the parts It) and the vertical webs of the posts 3, as fully shown in Fig. 3.

A flat bar |8 passes freely through an opening in the lower leg H of each of the stirrup members and at its upper end is widened and formed into a fork l9 by slotting the upper end portion thereof to provide a relatively wide slot. The forked heads l9 engage with the parts It, one side of each fork passing through the opening ll in the associated part H3. A coiled compression spring 28 is located around each bar |8, at its upper end bearing against the lower edges of the head L9 and at its lower end against the upper side of the lower leg II, as in Figs. 4 and 5. In the position of the parts shown in Fig. 4, the line of force of the spring passes to the right of the pivotal axis of turning of the bar l4, whereby the bar is held in upper position. But by moving the arm l4 downwardly a short distance the line of force of the spring passes to the other side of the pivotal aXis of turning and tends to cause said bar M to move in a clockwise direction downwardly, as in Fig. 5.

In the outer end of each arm M an opening 2| is made substantially of triangular form, as shown. A flat metal plate 22 bent into the curved form shown and with a terminal reinforcing upper edge flange, adjacent its lower edge has a cutting blade 23 located thereagainst, and with a back bar 24 against the cutting blade, the three members being permanently secured together, preferably by spot-welding. At each end of the supporting bar 22 of the cutting blade it is reduced in width, providing end projections 25, each of which at its lower edge is vertically slotted for a short distance as at 26. The end projections pass through the openings 2| and the narrower portions of the projections 25, be-

tween the upper ends of the slots 26 and the upper edges of said projections 25 are received in said openings 2|. This mounts the cutting blade and its supporting bar 22 on and between the outer ends of the arms 4, and at the same time permits a limited swinging movement of the cutting blade and its support about a horizontal longitudinal axis. The movement is that per mitted in the swinging of the projections 25 between the opposite sides of the openings 2|.

With a roll 1 of paper or the like on a central supporting rod 8, carried by and between the vertical posts 3 of the supporting part of the structure, the cutting edge of the blade 23 is brought against the outer surface of the roll, as in Figs. 1 and 2. The cutting edge of the blade 23 will adjust itself to the surface of the roll by reason of the freedom of movement of each end of the bar 22 on the arms M through the mounting thereof described. Likewise, a certain amount of play is present between the sides of the slots 26 and the adjacent portions of the arms i4 creating a loose pivotal connection, whereby the upper pivotal end of each arm I 4 has an independent movement so that one arm, if necessary, may be lifted to a different position of elevation than the other and thus conform the edge of the cutting blade to the surface of the roll, even though one end of the roll may be of larger diameter than the other. The springs 28 force the cutting edge of the blade against the roll and hold it with sufficient pressure that when paper or other wrapping material if lifted upwardly against the cutting edge of the blade, it will sever the paper without lifting the knife upwardly. The springs are of a sufficient strength and design so that at all times there is ample pressure of the blade against the roll. When a roll is to be introduced into the machine, the cutting blade is elevated to the upper position shown in Fig. 4 and afterward the cutting blade lowered to bear against the roll, to follow the surface of the roll as the diameter thereof is decreased upon the paper or other flexible wrapping material being removed and used.

The construction is very practical and useful, economical to make and easy to assemble and also presents a very attractive appearance.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. A structure of the class described comprising, a support having spaced apart vertical posts, an arm pivotally mounted at one end on each of said posts, each of said arms adjacent its outer.

end having a substantially triangular shaped opening therethrough, a bar extending between the outer ends of the arms having projecting ends passing through said openings, said end portions being of narrower width than the distance between the sides of said openings, whereby the bar may have a limited rotative movement about a longitudinal axis, and a blade having a cutting edge at the lower edge of said bar, as specified.

2. In a structure of the class described, a support having spaced apart vertical posts, an arm pivotally connected at one end to each of said posts at its inner side and adjacent its upper end, said arms extending outwardly in the same direction and each of said arm having a triangular shaped opening therethrough, one apex of which is adjacent the lower outer end portion of the arm, two sides of the opening diverging rearwardly and upwardly from said apex, a bar of flat metal extending between the outer ends of said arms, a longitudinal blade having a lower cutting edge secured to said bar at its lower edge portion with the cutting edge of the blade extending downwardly beyond the lower edges of the bar, said bar at each end being narrowed in width and passing through an opening in an adjacent arm.

3. A construction containing the elements in combination defined in claim 2, each of said narrowed width portions at the ends of said blade carrying bar being slotted at its lower edge, said slots receiving therein portions of said arms below the openings therein and adjacent the lower outer apices of said openings.

ELVAH O. BULMAN. 

